Campbellclanman
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2007
- Messages
- 15,811
There is probably few who have not heard of our Traditional Folders and Fixed Blade friend Herder. all those who do can certainly vouch to what a great fellow he is, as many of us listening to the Catch Bit Podcast will give a hint on just how knowledgeable Neal is, not just on the knife world either!
Well a week or so ago, the wind blew the door open and a parcel landed on my lap, very much like a scene in Harry Potter, but there wasn't an Owl doing the delivery, it was the good ol' USPS.
Now, in this parcel was meant to be just the one knife, that was Barrett's amazing GL-24 Lambsfoot coming back home, it arrived a little later than it should have and I totally blame my American friends who were with me for not looking after me in the land of the brave.
Days before we had lined up in the post office and mailed off our knives off to our houses, mine set out for their journey home- but not before some idiot in U.S.A customs unwrapped each and every knife that I had carefully wrapped up - them threw them all in together to rattle and clang against each other all the way to New Zealand.
So having most of my left over knives that I didn't send in my suitcase I happily walked forward to TSA security - no sweat- jacket off, shoes off- "Belt Sir and empty your pockets" I heard, yep not a pro......bl..
My World stopped, everything slowed down into slow motion as I put my hand in my pocket and there was my GL-24, I turned to look at Barrett as my hand shakily held out his SFO Lambsfoot, Neal had to intercept Barrett as he started to run towards me - I couldn't hear what he was screaming at me in slow motion, face red and clenched in rage, I turned in slow motion to make a run for it, but the TSA Dog Handlers German Shepherds were barking and lunging at me standing on their back legs foaming at the mouth as their handlers strained with all their might holding them at bay, I had no where to go...
Everything came back to normal speed as I heard the TSA guy say " not a problem Sir", "Just place the knife on the tray and tell the gentleman on the other side and he will escort you to the courier station and you can send it off to yourself"
I looked around Neal and Barrett were looking at me shaking their heads- probably in embarrassment, The Dog handlers and their dogs had disappeared - it seemed like it was all a bad dream!
I couldn't believe it! I thought it was gone forever - everything I had seen or heard about TSA - and here were these guys totally polite and super understanding - just awesome, it may have been the fact I was crying and had a wee accident in my pants, I'm not sure- but hey I got my knife through!
So back to the package, it seemed a little big just for one knife?
Neal my friend, there is a saying "words cannot describe" and that one short sentence hits the nail on the head, I just cannot find the words to express just how thankful I am for these amazing knives, I hope there is enough time that I can pay you back- perhaps a few Steak meals in the future may be the way to start ?
Just a few days before the package arrived I commented on a knife exactly like this, you can see why my comments were favourable towards the knife- check this beauty out!
Beautiful Schatt and Morgan, gorgeous Bone, love everything about this knife!
Next, Winchester most certainly has a name for itself as we in the traditional knife world most certainly know, with Bone like this and a blade that seems to have led the most blessed life - who could go past this knife, let alone let it slip from your fingers?......
I have a few Case, a couple that hold great sentimental value as well as being fantastic vintages, this one joins this group for both of those reasons, I never got into amassing great numbers of Case, to be really honest, I think that had a lot to do with fear of them being so prolifically faked and as a beginner years ago- and still am now, I steered clear - boy there are some outstanding Case knives, here is one of them, now take a while to check the superb Bone handles on this gorgeous used carefully loved knife, reeks of quality....
Last, but certainly not least, a place close to the Heart, Sheffield! Such great memories of Jack, Sue and I spending a whole day walking around Sheffield, spending the morning with the wonderful Stan Shaw - and soaking up as much as possible, the old factories- we stood in front of them all, tar seal coming away exposing the Cobblestones that still lay under your feet- hundreds of years old - simply tar sealed over with as time buried the past slowly and Sheffield became not even a shadow that it once was.
Any knife from the heyday in Sheffield is bound to be fantastic - it was another world, a hard industrious world that took no prisoners taking it's toll on many-a-worker where Workplace Health and Safety wasn't even heard of.
The knives that left the shores of England by the ton were shipped to the land of opportunity and it was there that knives like this were snatched up, you couldn't feed this consumer enough, check out this outstanding knife from the days of old and can you imagine that knives like this were in abundance, but were they obtainable to the blue collared worker?
The stag is old and it's beautiful, the knife as a whole is beautiful, This is a large Folder that would most probably place it it the Folding Dirk catergory? I am not too sure - but it's a treasure, as the others are, Thank you once again Neal
Check out the tiny wee Stove pipe Kick at the very bottom of the tang o the Pen - this is old Sheffield from the 1830's to the 1860's, William Nicholson
Well a week or so ago, the wind blew the door open and a parcel landed on my lap, very much like a scene in Harry Potter, but there wasn't an Owl doing the delivery, it was the good ol' USPS.
Now, in this parcel was meant to be just the one knife, that was Barrett's amazing GL-24 Lambsfoot coming back home, it arrived a little later than it should have and I totally blame my American friends who were with me for not looking after me in the land of the brave.
Days before we had lined up in the post office and mailed off our knives off to our houses, mine set out for their journey home- but not before some idiot in U.S.A customs unwrapped each and every knife that I had carefully wrapped up - them threw them all in together to rattle and clang against each other all the way to New Zealand.
So having most of my left over knives that I didn't send in my suitcase I happily walked forward to TSA security - no sweat- jacket off, shoes off- "Belt Sir and empty your pockets" I heard, yep not a pro......bl..
My World stopped, everything slowed down into slow motion as I put my hand in my pocket and there was my GL-24, I turned to look at Barrett as my hand shakily held out his SFO Lambsfoot, Neal had to intercept Barrett as he started to run towards me - I couldn't hear what he was screaming at me in slow motion, face red and clenched in rage, I turned in slow motion to make a run for it, but the TSA Dog Handlers German Shepherds were barking and lunging at me standing on their back legs foaming at the mouth as their handlers strained with all their might holding them at bay, I had no where to go...
Everything came back to normal speed as I heard the TSA guy say " not a problem Sir", "Just place the knife on the tray and tell the gentleman on the other side and he will escort you to the courier station and you can send it off to yourself"
I looked around Neal and Barrett were looking at me shaking their heads- probably in embarrassment, The Dog handlers and their dogs had disappeared - it seemed like it was all a bad dream!
I couldn't believe it! I thought it was gone forever - everything I had seen or heard about TSA - and here were these guys totally polite and super understanding - just awesome, it may have been the fact I was crying and had a wee accident in my pants, I'm not sure- but hey I got my knife through!
So back to the package, it seemed a little big just for one knife?
Neal my friend, there is a saying "words cannot describe" and that one short sentence hits the nail on the head, I just cannot find the words to express just how thankful I am for these amazing knives, I hope there is enough time that I can pay you back- perhaps a few Steak meals in the future may be the way to start ?
Just a few days before the package arrived I commented on a knife exactly like this, you can see why my comments were favourable towards the knife- check this beauty out!
Beautiful Schatt and Morgan, gorgeous Bone, love everything about this knife!
Next, Winchester most certainly has a name for itself as we in the traditional knife world most certainly know, with Bone like this and a blade that seems to have led the most blessed life - who could go past this knife, let alone let it slip from your fingers?......
I have a few Case, a couple that hold great sentimental value as well as being fantastic vintages, this one joins this group for both of those reasons, I never got into amassing great numbers of Case, to be really honest, I think that had a lot to do with fear of them being so prolifically faked and as a beginner years ago- and still am now, I steered clear - boy there are some outstanding Case knives, here is one of them, now take a while to check the superb Bone handles on this gorgeous used carefully loved knife, reeks of quality....
Last, but certainly not least, a place close to the Heart, Sheffield! Such great memories of Jack, Sue and I spending a whole day walking around Sheffield, spending the morning with the wonderful Stan Shaw - and soaking up as much as possible, the old factories- we stood in front of them all, tar seal coming away exposing the Cobblestones that still lay under your feet- hundreds of years old - simply tar sealed over with as time buried the past slowly and Sheffield became not even a shadow that it once was.
Any knife from the heyday in Sheffield is bound to be fantastic - it was another world, a hard industrious world that took no prisoners taking it's toll on many-a-worker where Workplace Health and Safety wasn't even heard of.
The knives that left the shores of England by the ton were shipped to the land of opportunity and it was there that knives like this were snatched up, you couldn't feed this consumer enough, check out this outstanding knife from the days of old and can you imagine that knives like this were in abundance, but were they obtainable to the blue collared worker?
The stag is old and it's beautiful, the knife as a whole is beautiful, This is a large Folder that would most probably place it it the Folding Dirk catergory? I am not too sure - but it's a treasure, as the others are, Thank you once again Neal
Check out the tiny wee Stove pipe Kick at the very bottom of the tang o the Pen - this is old Sheffield from the 1830's to the 1860's, William Nicholson
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That Nicholson is amazing, as are the other knives, so generously gifted 
Wonderful pics and prose mate 
